The accident comes weeks after Railway Minister Prabhu told Parliament that Railways will spend Rs 10,000 crore for track renewal. The Rail Minister had also told Parliament that although the accident rate had come down he won't be satisfied till the railways achieve a zero accident rate.

Eleven coaches of the Lokmanya Tilak Superfast Express derailed at Unnao railway station in Uttar Pradesh. No casualties have been reported in the train derailment, according to an ANI report. The accident comes weeks after Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu told the Parliament that the Railways will spend Rs 10,000 crore for the renewal of railway tracks. The Rail Minister had also told the Parliament that although the accident rate had come down he won’t be satisfied till the railways achieve a zero accident rate. The Minister made these statements in the Rajya Sabha in response to a question on the Appropriation (Railways) Bill earlier this year, according to an Indian Express report.

Anil Saxena from the railways told ANI that, ”Eleven coaches of the train have derailed, no casualties have been reported. Medical train and ambulance are at the spot”.

Eight coaches of the Lokmanya Tilak Superfast Express derailed at Unnao railway station in Uttar Pradesh. No casualties have been reported. (Source: ANI)

Prabhu had said that besides renewal of tracks the railways will adopt the latest technology to detect rail fractures, the minister told Rajya Sabha that this will bring the accident rate to a near-zero level. The Railways Ministry is also planning to install a train protection warning system and elimination of all unmanned level crossing the country. The ministry is planning to use the 1 lakh crore ‘Railways Suraksha Kosh’ to finance the project.

Prabhu said the government is focused on doubling the track network. The minister added, ”Modi government has sanctioned 12,500 km of track doubling in the last two-and-a-half years, while in the last 75 years only 15,000 km were covered,” according to another Indian Express report. The report added that the project will end train delays, reduce congestion, improve safety and ensure fast move of passengers and freight. Prabhu also said that the number of trains plying on the Konkan Railways will double in the next 5 years.